Second unsucessful attempt 640(Q47, V32)

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Second unsucessful attempt 640(Q47, V32)

by c23678 » Mon May 06, 2013 10:07 am
Last weekend I took GMAT(2nd attempt) and scored 640 (Q47/V32). I am very disappointed with my verbal score.

Quans was going good until I got stuck on couple of questions around 25th question. They were easy questions so I just couldn't leave them guessing. Big mistake. Lost lot of time until I realized I had 10 questions to answer and 13 mins left. So I had to guess few to make sure I dont leave any unanswered. By the way, I did not see any probability question. Is that a bad sign?

Verbal started well. 4th question was RC (Thought its a good sign). But did not see bold CR question until around 30. For some reason I tend to loose my focus in verbal. I had to read lot of questions twice in order to understand them, especially CR ones. That took lot of time. At the end I had 10 questions with 13 mins left. Had to guess few questions to save time. Received a bold CR question around 35, but again had to guess due to lack of time. I am not sure how I can improve on focusing 100% during the exam. I dont see this problem during the practice tests. My practice test verbal scores were all between 37-41. I expected the same today, but did not happen.

I am ready to give one more try but not sure where to start. Obviously I have to improve my verbal score to cross 700 mark, but not sure how I can be confident that this time I will be able to focus properly and wont have to read questions twice. Can someone suggest me a strategy to help me cope with this and cross the 700 mark?

Also I exhausted all GMATPrep and MGMAT practice tests. Are there any other similar practice tests that I can use?

Thanks
C23678
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by Jim@StratusPrep » Tue May 07, 2013 8:51 am
The best thing you can do for verbal is read answer explanations from the OG. Learn the patterns of the exam. Why are right answers right and wrong answers wrong? A deep understanding of a small set of questions is better than an average understanding of a bunch of questions. As for practice exams. I would likely use the exams you already have. Take the ones that you are least familiar with. Really, you are just focused on stamina as you should be familiar with exam strategy at this point. For that matter, question pack 1 can be set up as quizzes - do 75 mins worth of problems.
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by c23678 » Tue May 07, 2013 10:03 am
Thanks Jim.

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by Brent@GMATPrepNow » Wed May 15, 2013 6:08 am
c23678 wrote:For some reason I tend to loose my focus in verbal. I had to read lot of questions twice in order to understand them, especially CR ones. . . . . I am not sure how I can improve on focusing 100% during the exam. I dont see this problem during the practice tests.
When it comes to Reading Comprehension (RC) and Critical Reasoning (CR) questions, it's crucial that you engage 100% in the passage. Rather than approach a new passage with dread ("I don't enjoy reading it at all"), try to feign interest ("Excellent! This passage is about stock market regulations in Mexico!"). The better your engagement, the better the results.

You'll find additional tips to help you better engage with the passage in this free video: https://www.gmatprepnow.com/module/gmat- ... on?id=1123

Cheers,
Brent
Brent Hanneson - Creator of GMATPrepNow.com
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